Blue Flames

Chapter 51

I moved two whole steps before my feet left the ground.

Arthur's arm was around my waist, hoisting me up, my back against his chest.

"Calm down," he whispered in my ear, his deep voice firm and calm. 

It took a moment for me to get my head under control. Pushing back my magic's urge to lash out was difficult, but Arthur's powerful presence steadied me. I took a deep breath. My senses were still attuned to the pulse of people around me, but they were slowly turning into background noise.

I could now think. And I could smell Arthur's blood. My eyes swung down. One of my hands was gripping my sword, the other dug its nails in Arthur's forearm, drawing blood. I snatched my hand off him like it burned. Guilt pinched my heart.

As I watched, his skin smoothed over the punctures that my nails had made. But the droplets of blood were still staining his skin. Arthur kissed my temple. 

Deep breaths. In and out. My mind cleared up and a couple of minutes later, my heart settled.

"Okay, let go," I said.

"Are you calm?"

"Yes."

"Sure?"

"Yes, damn it," I snarled. That did not sound calm. But Arthur chuckled and lowered me to the ground. We had attracted quite a bit of attention from immortals and humans alike. Great.

Noah and Marianno looked impassive, as if me almost losing control was an everyday occurrence. I surely hoped not. 

But Noah's eyes swirled with amber, the three scars marking his face standing out sharply against his skin, and my magic sensed his wolf close to the surface. Not for the first time since I met him, I wondered about the story behind those scars.

Arthur kept his hand on my back, heavy and warm. "Marianno, are you certain?"

"Yes," Marianno nodded. "It happened when you introduced Elle. His thought patterns were already odd when he stopped to speak with us. Mentioning Elle pushed the memories to the forefront of his mind. I didn't get the gist of it, but Martin Malone was definitely there."

"He looked so calm," I mumbled. That went to show that my people-reading skills were absolute crap.

"He was one of the few people I didn't get the chance to examine," Marianno added. "He went to great lengths to avoid me, now that I think about it."

"Hmm. I guess your talent has acquired a reputation."

"Too bad," Marianno said. "That will make things more difficult in the future."

"It was only a matter of time. You lasted long enough." Arthur turned to Noah. "Do you happen to know where Taro's rooms are? I don't wish to bother the human receptionists."

"I don't think they'll tell you, anyway," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to ask." 

Right. I shook my head. We really needed to have a talk about some of his moral lines. 

"I do know where he stays," Noah said. "Unfortunately, I won't be going with you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Conflict of interest," Noah turned his bright eyes my way. "His coven and my pack have some business together. It wouldn't look good if I was there when you torture him."

"Whatever makes you think we're going to torture him?" I said with a smile. 

Yes, the thought of torturing someone involved in uncle Robert's murder made me giddy. Unhinged, I know.